


Softest of Blows

by lostinstarfleet



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, M/M, Semi-plot compliant, Starfleet Academy, Vulcan Kisses, no beta sos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 11:50:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20563838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostinstarfleet/pseuds/lostinstarfleet
Summary: After a run-in with a professor he used to look up to, Jim decides to challenge the perceptions of himself by becoming the professor's best student. Does it go the way Jim expects it to?--A Starfleet Academy AU, you know the drill by now





	Softest of Blows

Jim knew that that it was fair that he was being reprimanded, but he wasn’t happy about it. He especially wasn’t happy that the hearing was taking place in front of everyone he knew. Projecting confidence almost constantly wasn’t enough for Jim to convince himself that he deserved a place at Starfleet; he wanted to live up to his father, wanted to prove that he was smart and could complete the Command Track as fast as he’d bet Pike, didn’t want to get under the wrong person’s skin. But everyone was there; every student, every professor, and any one of them could be the one who programmed the Kobyashi Maru. Hell, even some of the admin staff were dotted around the edge of the room, clearly curious to lay eyes on George Kirk’s disappointing son – the troublemaker.

‘I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly,’ he remembered saying, though honestly most of his thoughts were in the clouds. He was doing his best not to seem nervous, but he sure as hell was. He heard a body stand up, and he took a deep breath before turning to see who it was.

‘Damn it,’ he thinks. He did know who that pointy-eared bastard was, contrary to what he had let Bones know. Spock, the first Vulcan to be admitted into Starfleet: Xenolinguistics professor, science extraordinaire, and when this academic year drew to a close, Pike’s first officer. Jim had applied for Spock’s fast-track Xenolinguistics course which would begin after the holidays and he’d hoped to make a damn better impression of himself. In all honesty, Jim looked up to Spock a little. He didn’t want it to be like this.

The Admiral introduced Spock as he took to the lectern (not that he needed to, Jim already knew all of his credentials), and Jim’s heart felt as though it was going to beat out of his chest. He barely knew that the hearing had begun.

‘…install and activate a sub-routine in the programming code, thereby changing the conditions of the test,’ Spock’s voice came, cool and collected, as Jim had expected. He snuck a glance at him, but the Vulcan’s eyes remained concentrated on the Admiral, and suddenly Jim hears the Admiral calling him a cheat.

‘The test itself is a cheat, isn’t it? You programmed it to be unwinnable.’

The Vulcan meets his eyes for the first time, and suddenly Jim is angry. Despite strikingly revealing Spock’s human half, his eyes betray nothing, which means one thing to Jim: he doesn’t care. Spock doesn’t care about the potential backlash this could have on his academic studies, all for doing something that Jim was convinced showed command qualities.

‘Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-win scenario.’

‘I don’t believe in no-win scenarios.’

‘Then not only did you violate the rules, you also failed to understand the principle lesson. You of all people should know, Cadet Kirk: a captain cannot cheat death.’

Oh. Suddenly Jim wasn’t listening anymore. Spock was referring to his father. So he couldn’t escape the association with George Kirk, even when he was being delivered the lowest of blows.

The rest of the hearing went by in a blur. He was issued a formal warning, of which you only get two, and was warned that he ought to be on his best behaviour from then on, otherwise he risked termination of his placement at the academy. He did not have to retake the Kobyashi Maru, however, and he could’ve sworn he saw something flicker momentarily beneath those unfeeling eyes of Spock’s – disappointment, perhaps? Jim was too angry to dwell on it.

-

Bones had been silent all the way back to their shared dormitory, sensing the anger from his roommate. He turned to him, closing the door after himself, but Jim launched into an angry monologue before he had time to even open his mouth.

‘Who does he even think he is? Does he not understand how unprofessional it is to bring my dad into this? If I ever get… No. Do you know what? I’m not letting that bastard win. I’m going to be his top student. Not ‘one of his top students’, I will be the _best_ student.’

Bones was at a loss. He knew that Spock wouldn’t care whether or not Jim was his top student – just whether or not he stayed out of trouble – but nothing, not even Bones, could stop him when he was in one of his moods. Besides, in a week or two, it would pass.

‘Alright, kid, I believe you. Just, would you try not to piss him off more than you already have? You got off lightly this time around.’

‘Are you kidding? I’m going to be his favourite student,’ he said, bitterly. ‘I’m tired of people thinking I’m a layabout. I’m tired of people comparing me to my dad.’

‘Maybe what would fix this would be going out for a drink?’

‘Didn’t you hear me, Bones?’ Jim said, with incredulity. ‘I’ve got studying to do.’

-

Bones could scarcely believe his eyes. Three weeks passed and Jim displayed no signs of stopping yet. He had to admit that it was refreshing not having to spend every waking moment hoping his friend wasn’t having a lethal allergic reaction somewhere because if he wasn’t in class, he was revising in their room. He couldn’t even tempt Jim home with him for the holidays, and Jim was usually the first person to want a break from this place.

‘Jim, are you sure you want to stay here for Christmas?’ Bones asked him, as he was packing his things. ‘There’s still time for you to change your mind.’

‘It’s fine, Bones,’ Jim said, still crouched over his revision notes, ‘I’ll have three weeks to get as much done as possible before Spock’s class starts, and I’ll have zero distractions when you go home.’

‘Gee, thanks kid,’ Bones said with an ounce of pretend hurt in his voice. It took that for Jim to set aside his work and turn to look at his friend.

‘Look. I appreciate the kind offer, but I have to do this. I need to prove I’m worthy of being a captain, and if the smartest guy in Starfleet thinks I’m scum then that will always be a set-back,’ he said quietly, looking just a bit embarrassed to be telling him all of this.

Bones sighed. ‘Okay kid, but you need to call me, especially if anything goes wrong or if your face balloons up again.’

‘You don’t count my face ballooning up as ‘something going wrong’, huh?’ Jim said, grinning.

‘At this point, it might be an improvement.’

-

Jim was used to being alone. He’d spent his entire life that way. Save for a few rogue nights spent in someone else’s bed, (far fewer than his peers at the Academy would believe), he had pretty much been alone right up until Bones offered to room with him. He didn’t suppose it was his mother’s fault that she could barely stand to be around Sam and himself after their dad had died. She’d been through a lot and amongst all the things that James Kirk was mad about, he wasn’t mad about that anymore.

He liked being alone, because it gave him no responsibilities to other people. He’d spent most of his life only having to think about himself, and while he loved Bones dearly, he had no problems spending Christmas on a near-empty Starfleet campus.

Or he wouldn’t have had any problems with it, if three days in he hadn’t bumped into the one person he hadn’t expected to have to see.

Jim had decided (after a strongly-worded message from Bones) that it was probably time he left their room for some sunlight and food, and perhaps a little peruse around the library’s Alien Language section, given how much he hated the place when it was so full of people. He got a coffee and a sandwich from the cafeteria and took his lunch across the  
campus.

He had been right – the place was totally empty.

He took his food up to the top floor where he knew the books of his interest were, silently revelling in having the entire building to himself, when a figure amongst the bookshelves stopped him dead in his tracks.

_God_. Jim cursed himself for being so stupid. Of _course_ Vulcans wouldn’t be going home for Christmas. These are Earth holidays. He turned around to leave as quietly as possible. The one time he comes to the library, and he has to bump into the one being who probably hates him more than Frank.

‘Can I help you, Cadet?’

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I guess we haven't really got to the exciting stuff yet but please leave comments <3


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